Ut Proism
by Anonymous Psychofan
Summary: Integra's life is drawing to end, facing the Hellsing vampires with a daunting future.  How will Seras overcome this fate?  Another trip through time should do the trick, right? AxS. Sequel to When? Where? As long as it's you.
1. Negotiations

Disclaimer: I do not own Hellsing.

Story Info: _Ut Proism_- Latin for "That I May Serve"- This is designed to be a sequel to "When? Where? As Long as it's You" but can be read on its own, given that it explains what information is necessary to understand the story line. There will be a brief character reference at the bottom to explain references to the prequel.

CAUTION: contains time travel, angry vampires and implied lemons at various points... and of course, rampant blood shed is a must... XD R&R!

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**Ut Proism**

Chapter One: Negotiations

Seras Victoria frowned, shifting her weight as she propped her chin in her hand, resting her elbow on the table as she scrutinized her former master, watching him drink the bloodied wine he clutched tastefully in his long, slender fingers. Occasionally, his crimson eyes flicked to her in mild interest, but he seconds later resumed swirling the contents of crystal glass thoughtfully, ignoring her presence.

Seras vaguely wondered if he was doing this on purpose, making it harder for her to ask the question on her mind so that he could enjoy the pleasure of watching her squirm uncomfortably. Yes, that sounded like something Alucard would do. So how could she retaliate? Somehow, she didn't thinking deliberately not asking her question was setting her up to win this mind game.

She also wondered how much he knew of what she was thinking. Since he had freed her from his service, their mind link had not been as strong; but it certainly wasn't weak. He could speak into her head at will, and she had a feeling he enjoyed probing through her dreams in his free time. But as for reading her mind... that was a different story. She could usually sense him reading her thoughts and was able to erect a barrier if need be.

On the other hand, Alucard was an uncommonly skilled vampire. It was always possible that he had found a way to creep into her mind unnoticed. The familiar smirk on his face when he looked at her always kept her guessing. Maybe he knew this and did it deliberately to confuse her. One thing was certain; Alucard took far too much delight in her discomfort. She had thought that being his mate would have changed that between them. She had hoped that she would become more than just a toy. But mating seemed to have only taken them further in the opposite direction of her fantasies. She was more his toy than ever, more under his control than she had been as a fledgling, as loyal as a dog and always incredibly confused.

She struggled to keep up with him intellectually and had long since given up trying to outdo him in combat. For every trick she pulled out, Alucard had a dozen up his sleeve. She hated being so inferior to him, and at the same time she was all the more attracted to him. Perhaps she should have been grateful to have been awarded the privilege of sharing his bed, and yet, at the same time it wasn't enough. She would be forever striving to be better at him at _something_.

It seemed all her hopes for victory had come down to one final thing; Vanya. He was the one thing that she could still be proud of: the perfect vampire. Young, handsome, talented... his concentration was flawless, his actions precise and concentrated and his desire to succeed well above where her own had been. He progressed rapidly in his training. He had even reached the point where he could probably outdo her in combat, not that he ever suggested it. He was respectful and loyal to his master, and to Alucard.

Alucard watched the boy grow with dislike and interest, causing Seras to swell with triumph. She wondered whether he felt threatened by her fledgling's growing power, or was simply envious of the ample amount of time she devoted to him each day. Either way, Vanya frustrated her former master in a way she could not.

And she loved him all the more for it. He was like a son to her, and she watched him with a mother's adoring eye, praised him when he succeeded, scolded him when he was rude and put thought and care into his plans for the future. It had been nearly twenty years since she had turned him (ignoring the fact that she had been on a different time plane when she had done so) and he now resembled Alucard in many ways. The once boyishly brown-blonde hair had turned silvery, much like her own, and fell a few inches past his shoulders. His eyes were the purest shade of crimson imaginable, a sign of power and strong blood. Seras could not even recall what they looked like when they were green.

She smiled, thinking fondly of her fledgling, knowing he was probably curled up in his coffin in what had once been her room, sleeping peacefully after his long day of training. He had just learned how to transform into a flock of bats, and the experience had physically drained him. Seras made a mental note to ask Walter to leave him an extra blood pack.

She looked up, coming out of her thoughtful trance and found that Alucard was staring at her with his alluring eyes narrowed curiously. She stared back unblushingly, waiting for him to speak. When he did not, she said aloud, "Don't you think we are getting too old for staring contests, Alucard?"

His teeth flashed in a slight smirk. "Given that you are the one who has been watching me like a scared puppy for the last hour, I would hold my tongue."

Seras scowled indignantly and looked away, now staring at anything but him.

"Why not ask your question?" he suggested, taking another sip from his glass.

Seras felt her face flush. So he _had_ been deliberately pretending he didn't know she had something on her mind. "No, thank you," she replied, admiring the cracks between the stones the made up the floor.

"Then you won't get an answer, will you?" he pointed out, his cruel smile flitting across his lips.

"I doubt any answer you'd give me would be straight forward anyway," she returned coldly. "It's not worth it for the satisfaction it would give you."

"Are you certain of this?"

Seras hesitated. No, she wasn't certain. He did give her comprehensible answers sometimes, but it was not often. Would this time be different? After all, it was a rather important question...

_No!_ she shouted mentally at herself. _He's baiting you to get inside your thoughts! He'll hear the question and then give you a stupid answer before disappearing through a wall._

"For the time being, Alucard, I would rather I keep this question to myself," she told him firmly. "While I trust you to protect me physically, I do not have any faith in your ability to keep me mentally sound, so I will take care of that on my own, thanks."

Alucard's grin deepened. "Sanity is all relevant."

"And in your case, it doesn't matter what you're judging against," she politely replied, causing him to chuckle and lean back in his chair, surveying her hungrily.

She ignored this new glint in his eyes, determined to ignore it just as he ignored her need for information. Perhaps she would spend the night in Vanya's room...

Alucard's smile did not fade, even though she had made no effort to hide this last thought from him. Did he believe her incapable of being apart from him for one night? He was so arrogant and confident in his own appeal...

She huffed, and crossed her legs, folding her arms across her chest, as if to say, "dream on." Alucard was not phased even for a second. She watched him vanish from his chair, and, knowing where he would reappear, she mimicked his actions, switching sides of the table in an instant. Alucard now stood behind where she had been sitting while she was still in the same position, only in his chair instead of hers.

Alucard grinned maliciously, obviously pleased by her attempts to keep away from him. He seemed amused, and if anything, encouraged. This time he walked lazily around the table, his eyes fixed on her like she was something to be preyed upon. Seras tried to ignore the tingling feeling this look placed in the pit of her stomach. She went to vanish again, but found that she could not; he had put a block on her powers. That is to say, he had erected a barrier around her body, keeping her in place.

Seras only scowled harder. He walked behind her trailing a gloved hand across her shoulders, making her shiver uncomfortably. She looked up at him, frowning as she said, "Alucard, I don't want-,"

But her voice caught in her throat as he snaked a hand beneath her chin, and pulled her from the chair. His free hand wound its way around her waist, crushing her body against his. She strangled a gasp as he dragged the hand that had cupped her face down her back and then up the side of her leg. One of her hands clenched on his shirt as she felt herself pressing closer to him.

Seras looked away in spite of herself. She knew that had they both been humans, she would have been able to pull away from him and storm out of the room. But there was some amount of hypnosis in his actions that enticed her against her will. It seemed she was still not strong enough to resist him. But perhaps she could play this situation to _her_ advantage, rather than his. After all, he had the same weakness all men shared, and she did at least have enough power to control that.

"Master," she purred, noting his delight at her use of the word; she only used it in such intimate settings. She wrapped an arm around his neck, moving her lips closer to his as she whispered, "If you gave me a good answer, I could make it worth your while."

Alucard smirked. "How so, Police Girl?"

"I can think of a few ways," she said tantalizingly, sliding her tongue teasingly across his lips.

Alucard raised an eyebrow and said, "We both know that I can extract whatever form of pleasure I want from you without your consent."

"But we also both know you enjoy it more _when_ you have my consent," she reminded him, brushing her lips against the flesh of his neck. "And even better than when you have my consent is when I'm actually interested." She pressed her hips into his, causing his grip on her to tighten. He looked down at her intensely and she knew she had won; men were honestly so easily manipulated...

"Fine," he murmured before pressing his lips against hers. He then pulled away and said as an after thought, "You may ask me later. I have a feeling any sort of question you're fighting this hard to have answered would ruin the mood."

Seras smiled, and began unbuttoning his shirt.

* * *

It was almost dark when Seras awoke, lying beside her former master in his coffin. He had an arm around her bare waist, that kept her pressed against him while they slept. Seras did not move. She had learned after years of living with Alucard that he was a very light sleeper, and not a morning- or rather, evening- person. The two were a very bad combination that kept her as still as the dead. He would awake of his own accord eventually, and then they would talk. Seras would make sure of that. 

For the time being, she closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander, enjoying the feeling of being so possessively held. Vanya was awake; she could sense him prowling about the upstairs corridor, perhaps waiting until Walter was out of the kitchen to sneak an extra blood pack from the fridge. Distantly, she heard the sounds of a sergant bellowing orders to the new recruits that had arrived only two weeks prior and were now undergoing the intensive training the always accompanied being a soldier of Hellsing.

She lay there, wondering how long it would take Alucard to open his eyes.

_Scipio?_ She thought tentatively, hoping that the response would not be too rude.

"_Vhat?" _he snapped into her head.

_Were you sleeping?_

"_Oh, no, Massster. I vasss sskipping through a field of flowersss, thinking vhat a lovely ssunssset thissss iss,"_ he replied. Seras grimaced; he had only recently learned what sarcasm was, and since then, every conversation she had held with him had been riddled with it.

_If you don't watch your tongue, you'll be admiring the sunrise, too, _Seras threatened.

_Daivs_ were such troublesome creatures, she decided, or maybe it was just Scipio. He was loyal yes, and useful in battle, but she sometimes wondered if it was worth it for his cold responses. He was even less cheerful when first awakened than Alucard was, though at least he was her servant, so she could handle his moods.

"_Very vell,"_ he said grumpily into her head. _Daivs _share only a mental link with their masters, a vampire of their choosing. Seras often wondered why Scipio had not transferred to Vanya or Alucard. They were significantly more powerful than she, and _daivs_ are nearly always won by power. _"Ssso," _he hissed. _"Let me guess. You are bored with that mate of yoursss, sso you deccided to bother me insstead?"_

_Something like that,_ Seras said with a smirk.

"_I think it sstrange that you chosse 'im, or that 'e chosse you."_

_As you've told me, many times, _Seras pointed out, rolling her eyes.

"_'e is very rude to me, you know."_

_Oh, good, let me tell him about that and I'm sure he'll understand and apologize immediately._

"_I thought you ssaid sssarcassssm vass not good," _Scipio said, with his snake-like laugh. _"I vass not sssearching for an apology. I vass merely demonsstrating 'is attatchment to you. You 'ad thoughtsss of doubt."_

Seras smiled slightly. When first she had met Scipio, she had not realized how strong the bond between them was. But as time went on, she realized it was impossible for her to keep her thoughts from him, or for him to keep his thoughts from her. The bond was stronger than that of a master and a fledgling, or even the bond between Alucard and Integra.

_Thank you, Scipio,_she said softly.

"_You are alvayss ssso emotional..."_ he muttered in response.

Seras forgot herself and laughed aloud. The reaction was instantaneous. Alucard's eyes snapped open and he glared at her, flipping her in his arms so that she was facing him.

"I'm sorry, Alucard," she said in the most soothing voice she could muster, running her fingers gingerly through his long black hair. "I didn't mean to wake you."

He caught her hand by the wrist and used it to pull her closer to him. "Lucky for you I was already awake," he informed her, kissing the side of her neck. Seras sighed with relief. If she woke him up early, he was usually in a bad temper for the remainder of the day.

"Then your promise?"

"What of it?" He was kissing down the front of her body, thoroughly disinterested in whatever she had to say.

"Will you answer my question?" She place her hands on either side of his face, guiding him up to eye level.

"I said I would, didn't I?"

"Yes, but a promise made by you is often about as useful as one made by a tree stump," she pointed out. Alucard smirked.

"Ask your question," he instructed.

She nodded. "Integra is almost fifty... I know that it may be many years before she dies, but she is past the point of being fertile, isn't she? And she never married, so she never produced an heir. What will happen when she dies? What will happen _to you, _I mean?"

Alucard raised his eyebrows, grinning from ear to ear. "_That_ was your question?" he asked, his voice full of ridicule. "I thought you would have been able to figure that out on your own."

Seras blushed. "I had an idea," she muttered. "But I wanted your opinion."

"Perhaps I should answer you more often if that is what I get for such simple questions."

"And yet you still haven't answered it," she pointed out, pushing away from him.

Alucard grinned. "Integra will bind me when she senses the end of her life approaching. She will probably order me to destroy you and Vanya first."

"What?" Seras squeaked, her eyes widening with horror. "How can she do that? How can we stop it?"

"That's more than one question, Police Girl," he said, pushing off the lid of the coffin and getting to his feet. "You'll have to earn those answers tomorrow."

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And that's the end of the first chapter! Please tell me what you think! 

**Terms and Characters:**

_Daiv-_ an uncommon hell-creature that resembles something like a cross between a giant dog and a bear with black fur and glowing red eyes. Serves only one vampire and shares a mental link with them; otherwise, they cannot speak to any but their own kind. It is agile, and strong, and most useful because it possesses the rare ability to journey through the years (in other words, time travel).

_Scipio-_ Seras' _daiv_. He is one of the smartest of his kind, and also the rudest. His former master was, ironically enough, the woman who turned Alucard into a vampire. When trapped in the past by another _daiv_ (one that belonged to Alucard's former self, Dracula)Seras demonstrated superior power to Scipio's former master and won his allegience. She named him after a human she met, and watched die, in the past.

_Vanya-_ Seras' fledgling. While in the past, she turned him in an effort to make Alucard angry (and she succeeded a little too well, might I add), but also because he demonstrated fascinating character traits that attracted her to him (not in a "mate" sense). He was part vampire (on his father's side) before he ever met Seras, which compelled him to make the choice to go with Seras.

_Dracula-_ Alucard's former self. When Seras accidentally fell through the time stream while in the process of killing his _daiv_, she found herself face to face with the legendary count and had to prove her worth all over again just so that she could live. Dracula demonstrated the beginnings of Alucard's personality, but seemed much more sane, and even human at times. Alucard, who found another _daiv_ and came to get Seras, erased his memory so that time would not be disrupted by their encounter.


	2. Beginning and End

Disclaimer: I do not own Hellsing.

So, I've decided to start writing responses to my readers! XD I've seen other people do it, and I think it's a really good way to show that I AM listening to your suggestions and comments... so, here goes!

hellsing101: Thanks for the great review! I'm pretty pleased with the relationship between them, too. It's so hard to preserve Alucard's character, isn't it? (skips off with the cookie, glaring at anyone who tries to take it)

adeium cross: I would love to hear your ideas for a potential girlfriend, because even if I don't use it in this story (and I'm not saying I won't) I may use it in the next, which hones in on Vanya a little more.

The Vampire Stalker: NOT THE EVIL BIRDIES! (speed-types until the computer bursts into flames) dammit...

Its My time 2 Shine: hehe, glad you liked! Here's the next chappie!

MindAsylum: I just can't help feeling bad for Seras at times, being so surrounded by obnoxious males. XD But what would we do without them?

franny-o: Hope you still like where it's going after this chapter! Seras and Scipio, off on another crazy adventure... oh. wait. I'm giving away the story...

Koori Youkai Hime: You know what's cool? There's going to be a sequel to the sequel to the sequel... XD but that's where I'm going to leave it off, I think.

jamason: ooh, interesting idea... perhaps I will incorporate that in some way... (wanders off mumbling like a lunatic about potential plot twists)

Kiyoshi Nakamura: hehe, I feel special XD Yeah, I hate it when people say, "the sequel's coming up" and then they don't update for months... it's so depressing, particularly when the previous story doesn't leave off in a good place (kinda like mine).

Seresid: Yes, we all love Scipio... he's just so obnoxious and adorable at the same time (ignoring the fact that he's an enormous, blood-thirsty Hell-beast, of course) I'm glad you liked the first chapter! Here's the next! XD

And now, the story!

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**Ut Proism**

Chapter Two: Beginning and End

Seras lay perfectly still, feigning sleep as she heard Alucard moving slowly about the room. She forced herself to invent fantastic tales of horror and insanity so that if he tried to study her thought patterns, he would believe her to be dreaming. At last she felt his presence fade away and knew that she was alone. She let out a captive sigh of relief and phased through the lid of the coffin, mentally clothing herself as she phased through the wall into Vanya's room.

She quietly tip-toed over to his long wooden coffin, touching her hand to the top of it as she whispered, "Vanya, are you up?"

Her fledgling rose, the edge of the portal that he used to exit the coffin pooling around his body as he slowly stood, stepping onto stone. Seras surveyed him once again with a prideful eye, admiring how handsome he looked in his long black trench coat, the pockets swinging ominously, suggesting he was carrying fire-arms.

"Alucard is not home?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he moved towards her.

"He just left for a mission. I wanted to talk to you alone."

"I can see that," he said with a smile, motioning to one of the chairs by the wooden table, implying that she should sit down.

Seras shook her head. "I won't be here long. I just want you to know what's... happening..."

Vanya's smile flickered. "Is something wrong?" he asked, touching a hand to her shoulder.

"Somewhat." She did not make eye contact.

"Is it Alucard?"

"No, it's Integra," she replied hastily.

"What about her?" Vanya inquired skeptically.

"It's not an immediate threat, I suppose, but it will be eventually," she said hesitantly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, that's just it- I'm not sure," Seras said, leaning against the table and curling her fingers around the edges. "Alucard has a theory that when Integra is on her deathbed, she may try to do away with us at his hands, because she will no longer be able to control us."

Vanya smirked. "Alucard would never let that happen, at least not to you. I could see him killing me, of course..."

"Vanya, be serious!" she scolded.

Vanya smiled apologetically and sat in the chair beside her, propping his black boots up on the table and leaning back in the chair. "Relax, Master," he chided, yawning slightly. "Do you honestly think Alucard doesn't have a plan for this sort of thing?"

Seres stared at the floor. "Wh-what if the bond between them keeps him from conspiring against her?" she asked softly, digging her nails into the underside of the table. "What if he's actually powerless to stop this?"

"Then he will have you stop it for him," Vanya said simply. "He'll instruct you on how to break the curse or something. You know, you could always just kill Integra..."

Seras shook her head. "The magic that binds Alucard does not allow him to stand back and watch Integra die. I've seen it happen before. He senses a threat to her and teleports to her side immediately, destroying whatever attacked, or planned to attack, her."

"Then, like I said, he will tell _you_ how to break the curse," Vanya said confidently. Seras was not convinced.

"What if Integra has forbidden him to give me instruction? Alucard cannot violate a direct order."

Vanya frowned. He had not forseen this potential obstacle. "Do you think that likely?" he asked slowly.

"Yes," Seras said, nodding slightly. "I do."

"Then what about me?" Vanya suggested.

"I am sure she has thought of that, too. She is very intelligent, after all."

"Fine," Vanya said, getting to his feet once more and walking the length of the room as he spoke. "I'll admit it's a problem. But what can we do about it?"

Seras smiled slightly. "Well, I had an idea about that... but first I have to know exactly what _is_ going to happen."

Vanya cocked his head to the side and looked at her uncertainly. "Are you suggesting..."

Seras nodded eagerly, pushing off the table and standing in front of him. "How can we solve the problem if we don't know what it is?"

Vanya sighed, closing his eyes as if frustrated. In the calmest voice he could muster, he said, "I don't think..."

"It doesn't matter what you think," Seras said fervently, cutting him off. "You are still a fledgling and have no place to criticize me."

"Yes, but Master..."

"Vanya, it's the only way!"

"Don't you realize what's at stake?!"

Seras blinked and stepped back slightly. She had not seen Vanya this upset in a well over a year. He obviously felt very passionately on the subject of her decision. "Yes, Vanya, I know what's at stake. But there's even more to lose if I do nothing," she said coolly.

"But _time travel_?!" he said, straining the word like it was a curse. "Don't you remember what Alucard said?"

"I don't plan on getting caught," she retorted. "Not by him, or anyone else."

"Then why did you tell me this plan?"

"Because I thought you had the right to know," she said, looking up at him.

Vanya opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it quickly, staring down at her with a mixture of apprehension and pity. At last he said, "You never wanted my opinion, did you?"

"No," she said simply. "I just wanted you to know what was happening... you've earned as much."

Vanya chuckled. "You're strange, Master. Very strange..."

"Thanks?"

"Don't worry about it," he replied with a grin. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

Seras smiled and nodded. "I'll see you tonight."

"Until then."

She waited for him to sink back into his coffin before leaving, phasing through the wall into the basement hallway.

_Scipio,_ she called mentally. He appeared in a whirl of shadows, his red eyes glowing intently, the fur of his back standing on end.

"_My Massster..." _he grinned, showing white fangs. _"You sseem perturbed... perhapsss ve are beginning a new mission?"_

_Yes, _she said, walking to him anxiously. Even on four legs, Scipio was noticable taller, the crest of his back rising to about six and half feet. She dug her fingers into the thick, dark hairs of his neck, scratching him adoringly.

_How would you like to see the future, Scipio?_

"_Vhat future? 'ow many yearsss vill ve passss through?"_

_Thirty? _She suggested.

His eyes narrowed. _"Vould you like me to find a cccertain event?"_

_Yes, that would be perfect._

"_Vell?" _he prompted. _"Vhat iss it?"_

_Integra's death._

"_Cccelebrating already?"_

_I sense a threat from her. She may try to have Alucard kill Vanya and myself. I want to see what happens so that I can rest easy._

"_And if it iss a threat?"_

_Then we have a lot of work to do, don't we?_

"_You should know, Massster, that the future iss nearly impossssible to alter," _Scipio cautioned.

_I'm aware of it, Scipio, _she said, smiling. _ And you should know, Integra will probably have Alucard kill you, too._

"_Vhat are ve vaiting for?" _he asked, bending low so that she could clumsily clamor onto his back.

_It's sort of exciting, isn't it, to be time traveling again?_

Scipio smirked wolfishly. _"Very exccciting indeed," _he said coolly. Rising once more. He was so tall that Seras had to bend forward to keep from cracking her head on the ceiling. _"I 'ave determined the time of 'er death," _he said after a moment. _"Nineteen yearsss, ssseven monthssss, twelve daysss, two hourss, thirty sssix minutessss and twenty four ssecondsss from now."_

_Perfect, _said Seras. _Then take us nineteen years, seven months, twelve days and one hour into the future. That way, we'll be able to get a good idea of how things will unfold._

"_Asssss you command," _he said in his faintest hiss, stepping into the dark realm of time.

Seras took a deep breath, holding his fur tighter than ever. They were stepping into unexplored territory, into a world that would be as familiar and strange as another country. She closed her eyes as she felt icy air wash over her, choking her senses.

"You know," she said softly, though her voice was as insignificant as a fleeting wind. "I think what I like most about time travel is that it makes me feel human again. Vampires cannot feel temperature. And yet, this sensation is as familiar as the first snows of my childhood, cool and exhilarating."

"_You are easssy to pleassse, my Masster,"_ he cooed with interest. _"Forever a child, no?"_

"Maybe so," she said as the icy air began rushing past them and all her thoughts and worries were drowned in a torrent of years.

* * *

And that's all for now! Sorry if it wasn't as long as yesterday's, but I don't have enough free time to write so much... Anyway, next chapter: What will Seras find in the future? Is her fate sealed, or is time still rewritable? How will Alucard react when, once again, he finds out Seras is stuck in a time plane outside of her own? 

Check back tomorrow for the answers, and in the meanwhile, please REVIEW!


	3. A World Without You

Disclaimer: I do not own Hellsing.

Alright, this is the part where I beg forgiveness from all the angry readers and try to come up with a good excuse... well, I'll just be honest. Writer's block. Yup, it happens to the best of us, and I'm far from the best, so immagine how screwed I am... Anywho, reader responses!

Seresid: Muahaha, I'll let you decide if this is something bad or not... it certainly isn't something good...

Kiyoshi Nakamura: Hehe, at least someone likes them! XD

The Vampire Stalker: -this is the part where I hide behind Alucard, dodging the flocks of evil birdies and oddly shaped rocks that keep flying in my direction- Ok, now that I have that out of my system... here's the next chappie! A little late, but... what can I say? I'm going to start updating regularly now if I can!

MindAsylum: Hmm... dramatic irony... any ideas in particular? XD I'm always open for suggestions!

Its My time 2 Shine: Yes, the evil cliffies of doom. -sighs- We all hate them, but where would the world be without them?

BlackWolfHellHound: hehe, thanks for the feedback! I'll try to keep my eye on Vanya's character and make sure nothing is out of place!

jadeium cross: Awesome ideas! I'll try to incorporate them into one of my stories!

FakeCompassion: Glad ya like it! Hopefully it'll stay good, right? XD

jamason: hehe, we all love Scipio, but I'm glad you like him too! He's my favorite character that I've created so far!

Only-My-Heart-Knows: Glad you liked it! And knowing me, there will probably be a sequel to this story too!... in fact I know there will. XD

Miyakei: I'm sorry! Writer's block got the better of me! ( Here's the next chappie, and sorry for the wait!

silverXphoenix: hehe, glad you enjoyed it! I try to make my cliffies as suspensful as possible, so that you guys will keep coming back for more! Enjoy the next chappie!

* * *

**Ut Proism**

Chapter Three: A World Without You

Seras coughed, inhaling a mouthful of dust as she and Scipio materialized in a pile of rubble, shaking bits of rock from the half-destroyed ceiling. Beyond the overhanging stones she could see an expanse of midnight sky, dotted with scattered stars.

Seras lept down from Scipio's back, brushing off her clothes, taking in her surroundings. "Scipio, where are we?"

"_Velcome, my massster, to 'ellssing," _Scipio hissed, his read eyes wary.

"This is Hellsing?" Seras said in shock, staring at the wreckage around her.

"_Yesss, I believe sso," _Scipio confirmed, sniffing at the air.

"How is that possible?" Seras asked, her throat suddenly very dry. "Where is Alucard? Integra? Anyone?"

"_I can feel the vampire'sss aura nearby. He isss with a 'uman."_

"What of me? What of Vanya?"

Scipio shook his head. _"I can detect no tracccessss of your presence, or your sssilly fledgling'ss. But there iss a dark presence 'ere. Sssomething foul, and undead, and it iss not your masster."_

"I don't understand," Seras said, walking to the partially destroyed wall and peering out at the ruins before her.

"_That is to be expected..."_ Scipio muttered, joining her side.

Seras felt tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Why? She hadn't cried since she was a fledgling... but somehow, the sight of Hellsing's destruction, the one thing she had believed to be constant in her un-life, affected her in a way nothing else could. What had she expected? Hellsing was a mortal organization; it was always only a matter of time until it came to an end. And wasn't that what she had always wanted anyway? For her and her master to be free?

"_Calm down, Massster," _Scipio said in a low voice. _"Thisss is the end of nothing. But you vould do vell to ssave your emotionssss for another time."_

"Right," she muttered, feeling her cheeks color. "Let's check this out."

She jumped the low crumbling wall, (Scipio just knocked it down when he stepped through it), and began to make her was across the abandonned remnants of what was once her home. The grit of the stone crunched beneath her feet, almost like the sound of bones. There were old blood stains splattered across the rocks and every so often she would catch sight of something that made her stomach clench. A helmet, a broken gun, a Hellsing coat of arms... any sign that there had once been life in this building. Here there was a smashed grandfather clock, and over there were the broken pieces of a chair. And the wreckage went on and on until she felt herself wanting to cry again.

_No! _she told herself firmly. _I'm here for a reason. I've got to find Integra!_

She began sniffing at the air, allowing her vampiric senses to take over her body. Her ears were pricked, her eyes narrow, searching for any sign of the Hellsing heir. It was hard to hunt a specific human when the stench of blood and debris was clouding her nostrils. Human's gave off no detectable aura either. She gritted her teeth and continued to search.

"_Massster," Scipio_ said lazily, _"Don't be sssuch a fool. Did I not just sssay that there wasss a 'uman with your massster?"_

_But how do we know that it's Integra? s_he asked.

"_Becausse it isss sstill living,"_he replied simply. _"Do you 'onestly think Alucard would keep company with any other than the one he iss bound to?"_

_Perhaps not, _she agreed. _So you think we should go to him? What if he senses me?_

"It's a little too late for that, Police Girl."

Seras jumped and spun around, gazing up in awe at the form of Alucard, towering over her, clad in a dark suit with matching hat, more up-to-date than the red duster she was accustomed to seeing him wear. His features, of course, were unchanged, the crimson eyes like blood amid the pale skin of his defined face.

"M-master!" she spluttered.

A strange smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. "It's been a while," he said carefully. "You look very young. Didn't I warn you about time traveling?"

"We're not here on a whim," she said firmly. "We're here to analyze the state of Hellsing's vampires upon Integra's death."

Alucard raised an eyebrow. "So that's what made you leave... you still have a lot to learn about time travel, Police Girl. You have never been to the future before, have you?"

"N-no," Seras said slowly.

"Of course not. When a vampire travels to the future, they disappear from their time stream, thus creating an alternate reality. This may or may not be your future had you never made this journey. Your analysis will be very limited. Take into account the things that would have changed had you been present."

"So," Seras said, trying to comprehend his message, "you're saying that you haven't seen me in years?"

Alucard nodded briefly.

"And when I return to my proper time, this time plane will be erased?"

He nodded again.

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"Not particularly," he said with a shrug. "I won't remember anything of this reality, and besides, I think I prefer the time stream with you in it."

Seras smiled slightly. Alucard's compliments were few and far apart, and therefore worth cherishing. She sighed, propping one hand on her hip. "So all this was for nothing," she muttured thoughtfully. "We still haven't learned anything. I thought you said this would work!" she said, rounding on her _daiv._

He shrugged. "_Vampiresss are very different from my kind. You are bound by time, vhile I am not. 'ow vas I ssupposssed to know thisss vouldn't vork?"_

She glared at him momentarily before an idea struck her. "Perhaps we can still learn something from this!" she said eagerly. "We can still watch to see what Integra will do to Alucard, to see if she will or won't bind him for eternity. Alucard, can you take us to her?"

"The _daiv_ can wait here," Alucard said, and in one swift movement, he had her pinned against his muscular chest, pulling both of them through a portal. They reappeared on the edge of the foundations of Hellsing, and he released her, motioning for her to be silent. He disappeared again and reappeared within her lind of vision, within a half wrecked room barely twenty feet away from her.

Seras crept closer, never more grateful for her vampiric prowess than she was then, soundless and stealthy, until she was pressed to the stones on the other side of the room that held Alucard and Integra.

"Why did you leave?"

Seras restrained a gasp. Was that dry, broken voice really the property of the once so intimidating Hellsing heir? The young vampire peered around the corner and spotted her former master kneeling beside the old, decrepit form of a woman who was lying on the ground, coughing every know and then.

"I detected a vampire, but when I confronted it, it fled. Perhaps another time, I would have chased it, but for now, my place is with you."

"I'm dying then, aren't I?" she wheezed, looking up at him with her still shockingly blue eyes, her chapped, wrinkled lips etched in a faint smile.

Alucard said nothing.

"Vampires feel no emotion for the death of a human, do they?" she asked sadly.

Alucard looked away as he said, "You were one of the strongest of the Hellsing line. Take solace in that."

"But you'll forget me, won't you?" she asked sharply, as always dissatisfied by his roundabout answers.

"I will not forget you, nor will I mourn you. Your passing is as every other, a natural human characteristic. I feel no remorse, but I feel no pleasure either."

"So you're indifferent?"

"Such is my nature," he said simply. "But now, my master, the time has come for you to make your decision. How will this end?"

"You mean, will I entrap you?" Integra prompted.

"If you free me, I would be able to destroy the one who destroyed Hellsing. You would not die in vain. Black Blood would perish."

"But then there would be two crazed, power-hungry vampires in the world instead of one. The casualties would be twice as drastic."

Alucard shook his head. "Black Blood is far too young for the amount of power he possesses. He has little control of his hunger, or his servants. So long as he lives, the casualties will be unending until humans are raised in barns like cattle."

"Is that not what you want?" Interga asked pointedly.

"A human cannot fathom what I want," Alucard said coldly. "But I share power with no one."

"Had Black Blood never come to power, I would see to it that you were imprisoned forever. But the way things are now... you can't make things much worse, can you? Very well, Alucard. Your freedom is granted upon my death." She coughed a little more, and a wad of phlegm and blood flew from her mouth, landing on the grass.

"You shouldn't have smoked so much," Alucard said with a twisted smile.

"Only you would find a situation like this comical," Integra pointed out, her icy eyes narrowed.

"Humans often bring about their own deaths. It is ironic to say the least," Alucard stated, still grinning.

"You're sick, you know that?"

"Dear, dear, Integra. Did you only just figure that out?"

"Can't you just leave me to die in peace?" she snapped.

"If you wish it," he replied.

She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. "I wish I could just fall asleep, and not have to experience this pain anymore."

"I could help you with that," Alucard reminded her. Integra nodded, and he pressed his fingers to her forhead. "Sleeeep," he said hypnotically. "Sleep, and farewell, Hellsing's last heir."

The eyelids slid shut, never to open again. Seras felt a chill pass over her, the death of such a powerful being. When Alucard emerged from the building, she rushed to him, chewing her lip.

"So, you are free?"

"Almost," he told her, examining the seals on his gloves. "She will not last much longer."

"Then I have nothing worry about. Integra freed you."

"Only because of Black Blood."

"Who is he?" Seras asked, intrigued.

"You may or may not come to know him. He is responsible for all you see and all you don't: a vampire lord to rival all others. He has a large following, but your presence in the world may drastically alter this future."

"Then what should I do?"

He chuckled. "It wouldn't be any fun if I told you that, would it?"

"Alucard!" she said angrily as he started to disappear. "It's your future as much as mine!"

"Perhaps..." said his disembodied voice, "...your answers lie not in the future afterall, but rather in the past..."

"Alucard!" she hissed.

"_Time to go 'ome, Massster,"_ Scipio whispered. _"Integra hass passssed."_

Reluctantly, Seras clambored onto her _daiv's_ back, clutching the thick dark fur in her fingers.

"Take me back to my proper time," she said, sighing.

"_It vill be my pleasure, my massster," _he assured her, bounding through the icy portal that would take them home.

* * *

Tah-dah! The end... for now... (just the end of the chapter, I mean, not the story!) Aren't there times when you just want to hit Alucard? Well, back through time we go... but first, a pit stop in the present to check up on the "ssssillly fledgling" and Alu-chan. XD Check back tomorrow for an update! And I do mean tomorrow this time guys... sorry about the suspensful break! Writer's block seriously sucks! 


	4. Determination

Disclaimer: I do not own Hellsing...!!

WARNING: The end of this chapter contains strong hints of lemon, though nothing too hardcore, so don't worry about that. Anyway, this particular chapter is rated M for sexual content. Please read at your own discretion.

Sorry about the lack of immediate update- I was a little stressed for time with 3 tests last week. I know you guys all have a lot of questions about Alucard, Black Blood, etc. Trust me, Seras is more confused than you guys, being not the brightest of Hellsing's undead employees. But I do have a plan, inspired by one of my loyal readers: not giving anything away though! XD Here's the next chapter, and I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

**Ut Proism**

Chapter 4: Determination

Seras clumsily dismounted from her_daiv_, the effects of time travel still wearing off as she stumbled to a wall, clutching it for support. So she altered the future? Hadn't Scipio said it was nearly impossible to do? This filled her with some small degree of hope. She still had some control over the events that lay ahead. She felt, for just a moment, like there was nothing to worry about; Integra freed Alucard of her own choosing...

_Black Blood..._

Seras frowned. Integra allowed Alucard to be free so that he could stop a vampire called Black Blood. But if Black Blood didn't exist, then Alucard would be imprisoned. So, who was Black Blood, and would her presence really alter his existence in her reality? It was very unlikely that she had such a strong sway over such a powerful vampire. He would surely exist with or without her, and Alucard would be free with or without her.

And yet...

She would be forever plagued by little feelings of doubt.

Scipio cleared his throat abruptly and said, _"I believe the 'umansss 'ave an expression for thiss ssssituation. Better... sssafe than ssorry? Yesss, that sssoundss appropriate."_

"Good call, Scipio," she muttered. "And Alucard said that my answers lay in this time... or did he mean my past? Why can't he ever just be comprehensible? It's like life is a game to him and he honestly doesn't care if he wins or loses. He's willing to gamble anything, so long as he's enjoying himself."

"_I am glad you are coming to termsss with your massterssss obnoxiousss characterissticsss,"_Scipio said with a wolfish smirk.

"Says the one who has a sarcastic comment about everything..." Seras muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes.

Scipio let out a bark of a laugh and began walking down the hall, probably hoping there would be a pile of rationed meet in his room when he returned to it.

Seras sighed, scuffing her boots on the stones as she walked slowly in the opposite direction of her _daiv, _passing the staircase that led downwards to the room she shared with Alucard, moving towards Vanya's bedchamber, wondering how much time had passed since she left; she hadn't been very specific with Scipio in her instructions prior to the return trip through time.

She reached his room and tapped lightly on the door. "Vanya?" she said quietly.

"That was fast," he said, phasing his head and shoulders through the door, causing her to jump.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course, Master," he replied stepping back so that she could follow him through the door and into the room.

"How long was I gone?"

"Barely twenty minutes," Vanya replied. "Did you learn anything?"

"Y-" she began, and then froze, scrutinizing her fledgling curiously. Perhaps she would not mention Black Blood just yet as his identity was still unknown, and she suddenly recalled that Vanya had the potential to be almost as powerful as Alucard himself.

She sighed, sitting in the chair and leaning her cheek in her hand. "Time is a curious thing, Vanya," she said, not looking at him. "It so happens that when a being travels to a time beyond his own, he vanishes from realty. The future I saw was not mine. I was not in it, and my presence may have drastically altered it, or so Alucard said."

"You saw future Alucard?" Vanya asked, getting excited. "What was he like?"

"As obnoxious as usual," Seras said with a fond smirk. "Some things never change, right?"

Vanya chuckled. "Did you see my future self too?"

She shook her head. Vanya looked disappointed. "So the trip was really a waste?"

Seras shrugged. "Maybe not. Alucard _did_ give me a hint. He said my answers lay in the past, not the future. Scipio thinks I should still take action, but I'm not sure how."

"Did he mean his past or your past?"

"Or both?" Seras suggested. "That's the trouble with Alucard; it's always a riddle."

Vanya looked thoughtful. "It would help if we at least knew what we were trying to do..." he muttered, tapping his finger on the table.

Seras bit her lip. "I suppose... we're trying to free Alucard, aren't we? To ensure that nothing goes wrong..."

"But only Integra can do that," Vanya said bluntly.

"Not necessarily!" Seras returned. "There may be a method we haven't discovered yet, something we _couldn't_ have discovered yet, not without Scipio."

"So you think the "answer" is in Alucard's present self's past?"

"In not so many words, yes," Seras said firmly. "What better way to free him than to investigate how he was captured?"

Vanya beamed at her. "May I come this time, Master?"

She nodded. "That would be appropriate."

"Perfect! When are we leaving?" he asked.

"Two days from now, first chance we get," she replied. "I think Scipio needs a little time to rebuild his strength after the journey to the future, though he does a good job of hiding his exhaustion. I confess, I'm a little tired myself."

Vanya nodded. "I understand, Master."

"Goodnight, Vanya," she said, sinking into a portal that dumped her in her bedroom.

Feeling very exhausted, she lay down in the coffin and curled up into a ball, mulling over her event-filled, lingering on the identity of Black Blood. Was it possible that Vanya _was_ Black Blood? No! She shook that thought from her head. Vanya would never betray Hellsing like that- he was too loyal.

She sighed and rolled over, only to find herself face-to-face with...

"A-Alucard!" she exclaimed, slamming her head against the coffin lid in surprise as she tried to sit up.

"How graceful," he observed, a wry smile on his face.

"I thought you had a mission," she said, blushing slightly.

"I finished."

"Did you already give your report to Sir Integra?"

"No."

"... are you going to?"

"No."

Seras glared at him. "You are honestly the most self-centered, unreli-"

He cut her off, catching her lips in a hungry kiss. When he drew back, her body followed him. Why did she feel like she hadn't touched him in years? Even though she had traveled to the future, she had not been there long, only a few hours. So why did she feel like she missed him...

She buried her face in the folds of his shirt, again restraining tears. She felt Alucard stiffen, obviously surprised by her unusually affectionate response to his attentions.

"Has something happened?" he asked calmly.

She shook her head. "No, nothing's happened. At least not yet."

"Tsk, tsk, Police Girl. It sounds as though you've been disobeying me again. Dabbling with time?"

"You're not my master," she muttered. "You have no authority over me."

"Don't I?" he asked. "You are still of my blood, no matter how powerful you become. I merely "recommended" that you not travel through time, for your own safety."

"It wasn't much of a recommendation," she pointed out. "It sounded more like a direct order. Besides, you only said that because you were jealous that I have a _daiv _and you don't."

"And whose fault is that?"

"I was just following orders," she replied. "And look where that got you."

Alucard smirked, flipping her over so that she was pinned beneath him. He leaned his face close to her ear, saying, "And what did you find when you went to the future?"

"You," she said simply.

"What else?" he asked, supporting himself with one hand while the other undid the buckle of the belt that wrapped around her waist, freeing her shirt from her body.

"Dirt," she said matter-of-factly. "There was a lot of dirt."

"Police Girl, don't test my patience," Alucard said dangerously, the wicked grin never leaving his face as he used his teeth to pull his white glove from his hand.

Seras smiled. "Why not, Alucard? Isn't it more fun this way? More of a challenge?"

"Everything is a challenge with you," he pointed out. "Training you, seducing you... I would think you'd have had enough fun to last you a life time." He slid his free hand beneath her shirt, running it along the curve of her waist. Seras gasped at the contact of skin, feeling the lust within her rising. "So tell me, little Draculina, what exactly did you see?"

"Well, there were also a lot of rocks..."

Alucard covered her mouth with his, forcing his tongue between her teeth. Seras hungrily returned the action, pushing her body up into his.

"Some trees, too..." she added when they broke the kiss.

"Determined to be stubborn?" he said, laughing softly.

She nodded.

"My little Police Girl, don't you know by now that I always get what I want?"

"Then why are you still a slave to a human?" she asked.

Alucard's look of desire turned to one of annoyance. "I meant regarding you."

"If you were free, then you really _would_ have everything you want."

"I'm aware of it, Police Girl. What is your point?"

"I could free you," she prompted, curious to see his reaction.

He chuckled darkly. "You can barely summon a familiar, let alone perform powerful vampiric magic, and that is all assuming there is actually a way to undo the curse that binds me."

"I'm going to find a way," she said firmly. "And you're going to help me."

"I am forbidden," he stated, looking a little angered by the words that left his lips.

"Ha! I knew it!" Seras said triumphantly, remembering the conversation between her servants and herself. Alucard raised an eyebrow, and she smiled, putting her arms around his waist and hugging him. "I killed the mood again, didn't I?" she asked, snuggling close to his chest, inhaling the coppery scent of blood on his clothes.

He laughed again, forcing her back against the bottom of the coffin, her legs pressed to either side of his torso. "You still haven't given me an answer about what you saw on your pleasant, little excursion."

"You have to work for it," she said seductively, feeling his hands slide up her legs, resting on her hips.

"I plan to," he said huskily before kissing her thoroughly. One of his hands remained on her hip, holding her lower body firmly against his while the other began to tear the fabric of her shirt, exposing her voluminous chest. Seras moaned into his mouth as his hand wrapped around her left breast, arching against him.

She broke free of the kiss and went for his neck, but he pushed her flat against the coffin, causing her to let out a faint cry of protest.

"Alucard, what...?"

"An answer, Seras."

She shook her head, lunging once more for his throat. He increased his pressure on her body, restricting her motions but arousing her all the more. Seras felt her insides twisting at the contact, and felt the anger in her rising. For a vampire, blood was essential to the mating ritual; denying her what she craved was as cruel as expecting her to mate with him while he was wearing a silver cross.

She thrashed beneath him, trying to sink her teeth into any part of him that she could. Alucard, of course, restrained her easily, grinding his hips against hers to heighten the experience. Seras growled in frustration. So this was how he planned to break her? Fine- two could play at that game! She would get what she wanted in the end. Alucard was still a man no matter how strong he was.

Seras ran her hands along his body, cutting the cloth with her nails until his clothing fell all around them in shreds. His amusement grew and he allowed her to proceed. She moved her legs against the side of his exposed body, pushing herself against him, causing him to groan slightly.

Alucard bit down into her neck, holding her head away from him, preventing her from biting him while he drank. Seras pounded her fists against his chest in protest. This was so unfair! And, of course, the drawing of her blood only made her thirstier for his! She snarled and wriggled, trying to break free of him.

And then, she had an idea. She dug her nails into the flesh of his chest, allowing his blood to wash over her hands and arms before dripping down to her belly. She moved her fingers to her lips, her tongue extended and ready, but Alucard caught this. A shadow arm sprung from the side of the coffin and pulled her arm down, away from her thirsty mouth. A similar one grabbed her other hand, while two wrapped around her ankles.

"This feels vaguely like extortion," Seras muttered, glaring up at him.

He withdrew his fangs from her neck, licking away the excess blood as he said, "Vampires have very loose morals."

"I've noticed."

"Then your answer?"

"No chance."

"It's only going to get worse," he reminded her, kissing her so briefly that she didn't have a chance to bite him.

Seras sighed and let her body go limp, closing her eyes in frustration.

"Good girl," Alucard whispered in her ear, nipping at the lobe. "Now what did you see?"

Seras put her arm around his neck, leaning close as she whispered, "Grass." And before he could react, she bit down into his neck and he spent the next quarter of an hour trying to un-pry her. There was a lot of snarling, scratching and the sort of things you'd expect in a fight between dogs. By the end of it, both vampires were exhausted, Seras panting while Alucard lay on top of her, trying to remind himself that he didn't need to breath.

"I win," she said with a smirk, licking a bit of excess blood from her lips.

"For now," he murmured, kissing the side of her neck.

"I just wish you hadn't _let_ me win- that's no fun!"

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"A cheap trick like that would never normally work on you," she said, frowning at him.

"You're the one who wanted to play," he said. "Besides, we both know you're going to tell me anyway."

"Maybe," Seras said with a shrug. "Maybe not."

He looked at her dangerously.

"Ok, ok," she said defensively. "I'll tell you everything."

"And I'll give you what you want," he replied, smirking.

"A puppy?" Seras said in mock excitement.

Alucard sighed in annoyance and covered her mouth with his so that she wouldn't have a chance to make anymore stupid comments.

* * *

Next Chapter: Seras decides that the best way to evaluate Alucard's enslavement is to go right to the source- but how will this upset the stream of time? Meanwhile, Vanya has been sneaking out a lot, increasing his masters interest in the identity of Black Blood. Of course, she discusses her concerns with Alucard who's about as helpful as a mound of dirt. Check back later for an update! XD 


	5. For Freedom

Woo-ee! Next chapter is here! XD Dun-dun-dun...

Disclaimer: I do not own Hellsing.

* * *

**Ut Proism**

Chapter 5: For Freedom

Blood flew through the air as the Harkonnen IX unleashed yet another massive bullet. Seras grinned, reloaded and pulled the trigger, destroying a dozen ghouls with a single shot. The Harkonnen IX was not as bulky as some of its predecessors, but it's explosive steel rounds were something to be feared. She had two more weapons on her person, one strapped to her thigh and the other deep in the outer pocket of her trench coat. These smaller guns contained silver bullets for destroying the vampire, which was Alucard's job tonight. Still, Seras kept them with her just to be on the safe side.

Seras shot once more as flecks of blood landed across her cheeks and lips. Only one ghoul remained.

"Alright, Vanya, your turn," Seras said with a smirk, turning to her bored looking fledgling who was sitting on a crate, using a small cloth to clean the barrel of his gun.

"How thoughtful of you, Master," he said, getting to his feet and walking toward the ghoul. He grabbed it by the throat and crushed it like a twig before plunging his free hand into the monsters chest, piercing it's heart. With a final twist of his fingers, it let out a final moan and went completely limp, dead at last.

"You know, Master," Vanya said, licking the excess blood from his hands, "You're only six years older than me."

Seras nodded. "True. What's your point?"

Vanya shrugged. "Alucard freed you when you were only three."

"Three as a vampire, twenty-two as a human," Seras reminded him.

"Yes, of course," Vanya agreed. "Well, I haven't asked for my freedom since that time all those years ago."

"You were only a few weeks old then," Seras pointed out. "To release you would have been murder."

"I know," Vanya assured her. "But now, I am twenty as a vampire and thirty seven as a human. I think I should be released from your service."

Seras bit down on her lip. The request was so sudden... of course, she had no grounds to refuse him. He was much older than she had been when she had been given her freedom. But perhaps Alucard had only freed her because he knew that he would still have complete control over her. Vanya was loyal because of the magic that bound them, and that would not be enough to restrain him if he was free.

"Vanya, if I release you, you will no longer be allowed to reside at Hellsing. You will have to flee from here, from England, I mean."

Vanya sighed. "That was always my intention. I- I've met someone and I would like to make her my fledgling. Sir Integra would destroy her if I was still a Hellsing employee."

"Vanya, remember- not all fledglings mate with their masters."

"I know," he said. "But this one will. We've already been seeing each other for a while. I talked to her about it and she thinks its the only way for us to be together. She's very romantic about it- it's sort of amusing. She doesn't quite understand what I'm offering her."

"Nor will she until it is too late."

"Do you regret it, Master?" Vanya asked.

"Not for many years."

"What do vampires feel when they are mates? They do not love..."

"No," Seras said. "They feel an attachment, of sorts, maybe a fondness? I cannot describe it. Perhaps it is something like an attraction so deep it cannot be easily destroyed."

"Does being a vampire change how you mate?"

"Vanya, are you _still_ a virgin?" Seras asked, laughing. "I thought you were attractive enough that it wouldn't be a problem."

Vanya shrugged irritably. "I have heard that some vampires sleep with humans. Humans, quite honestly, disgust me. Even the female I met disgusts me. I am attracted to what she will be as a vampire, nothing more. And I will not change just any female so that I can sleep with her."

Seras chuckled. "You are a piece of work, Vanya. You're even stranger than Alucard. No wonder he doesn't like you. He always has to be the center of attention, and I suppose you mess that up for him."

"So, what is your answer, Master?"

"If I free you, you must leave tonight," Seras cautioned, feeling some small twinge of remorse.

"I understand," Vanya replied, handing her his gun. She set it aside and extended her hand to her fledgling. He did not take it, but instead, lifted Seras by the waist and set her on a crate so that she was no longer her usual foot shorter than him. He bent to her neck, brushing his fangs against it.

"Good-bye, Master," he whispered, and bit down, causing Seras to grit her teeth in surprise. Vanya was inexperienced and his bite was sloppy, slicing rather than puncturing her vein. It made her think of Alucard, and the smooth entry of his fangs into her flesh. She smiled, and ran her fingers through Vanya's long, silvery hair, wondering how Alucard had felt the night she asked for her freedom.

_Elated, _Alucard said into her thoughts.

_Then why do I feel so... unhappy?_She asked, licking her dry lips.

_I did not lose a fledgling so much as gain a companion,_ Alucard replied.

_So how do you feel right now? _Seras asked slyly. _Does it bother you to see him drinking my blood when until now you are the only one who has had that privilege?_

_It is the natural course of things,_Alucard said firmly.

_So would it bother you if I told you how good it feels, how sensual? _Seras prompted, grinning.

Alucard laughed into her thoughts. _I can read you better than that, my little draculina. You feel something akin to a mother nursing. Pride, adoration... and annoyance at how he keeps missing the vein._

_You're no fun,_ Seras said, smiling. _I think it's sort of cute how he keeps missing..._

_I think it's pointless,_ Alucard said flatly.

_He has a girlfriend..._

_Jealous?_ Alucard asked.

_Do you want me to be?_ Seras retorted.

_You are a fool, Seras Victoria,_Alucard said in annoyance. _No matter how many fledglings you have, no matter how many men you sleep with, you are, and always have been, and always will be, mine._

_Possessive much? _Seras asked, feeling herself growing lightheaded from the blood loss. "Vanya, time to stop," she said, pushing him away. He did not retract his fangs from her neck. "Vanya!" she said loudly, trying to remove him. He snarled, and bit down harder. She bit down on her lower lip in pain, adding to the blood loss. "Vanya, get off of me!" He was completely unresponsive, sucking hungrily on her life force. Seras felt her consciousness slipping, felt her world turning black.

And then, abruptly, the pain ended and she collapsed to the ground, trying to refocus her gaze.

"Master!" Vanya was howling as if in pain.

"Alucard, put him down!" Seras shouted, finally capturing the situation.

"Of course, after a little fun," Alucard said with a grin, holding Vanya by the neck. "He is no longer a servant of Hellsing. I can do with him what I like."

"Not while I'm here!" Seras said dangerously.

"You would stop me?" Alucard said, his expression cruel. "You? Who can't even fend off a hungry fledgling?"

Seras did not waste anytime in thinking twice. She launched herself at Alucard with all the strength she could muster, tearing through the flesh and bone of his outstretched arm with her extended claws. Her fangs fastened on his shoulder bone, biting deep and true, surely causing him ample pain. Alucard ripped her off and tossed her to the side, searching for the younger male.

But Vanya had already vanished in the split second of time his former master had bought for him, and Seras was wearing a triumphant expression. She got to her feet, limping over to where Alucard stood fuming.

"I will never be stronger than you," she said, pressing her hand to the gaping wound on her neck to stop the bleeding, "but it does not mean I'm weak."

She went to generate a portal, but only a glimmer of darkness flickered before her. She had lost too much blood and was near to fainting. As if sensing this, Alucard quickly scooped her into his arms and brought her close to his neck.

"Drink," he instructed. Seras obeyed, leaning close to his muscular chest as the warm liquid fell down her throat, filling her with much needed strength. She broke away after a few minutes and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," she said, though of course what ever small amount of damage she had inflicted had already healed.

Alucard chuckled. "Someday, little draculina."

"Alucard?" Seras asked tentatively.

"Yes, Police Girl?"

"When you are free, what will you do? Where will you go?"

Alucard said nothing, but instead, generated a portal that would take them back to Hellsing. Seras shuddered, thinking of the reaction Integra would have when she found out Vanya was free of his master. Freedom was definitely starting to sound very good to her. If only there was a way to achieve it...

* * *

Snow drifted past the blank, glassy windows, adding to the chill of the Hellsing Manor. The soldiers shivered as much inside as out and were often heard muttering about the "ice queen" who was as insensitive to cold weather as the vampires. They piled layers of wool under their Hellsing uniforms, squishing hats beneath their helmets until they vaguely resembled giant balls of fabric.

Alucard had developed a new habit of "accidentally forgetting to close the windows above the soldiers beds," causing much frustration, but no uproars as none of the men dared to challenge someone as sadistic and merciless as the elder vampire. It was true that Sir Integra kept him on a tight leash, but even she couldn't muzzle him... and she had tried in past, mostly to keep him from talking.

Perhaps the reason Alucard had been acting up was that his favorite toy also had a new habit: sitting in the library for hours on end, ignoring him when he attempted to get her attention. Occasionally, she spared him a disdainful look of annoyance, but more often than not, she simply dismissed his presence altogether. Alucard tried stealing her books, opening a portal beneath her chair, taunting her with words and even cutting her long silvery hair on one occasion. Eventually, he had no choice but to admit defeat and move on to easier targets... and speaking of which...

"ALUCARD!"

"Yes, Master?"

"What, pray tell, is my dresser doing in the middle of the courtyard?"

"I thought it added to the aesthetic value of the hedge stones. Were you using it?"

Integra glared at the smirking vampire, a fluffy white bath robe wrapped around her pale, shivering body as her long gray-streaked blond hair dripped with water. Of course he had waited until she got into the bath to steal it. It wouldn't be Alucard if he hadn't. Integra massaged her temple with one hand, hugging her robe to her with the other.

"Alucard, I want you to get my dresser, bring it to me, and then go sit in your coffin until nightfall."

"Ooh, but that's no fun..."

"IT WASN'T A SUGGESTION, ALUCARD!"

Alucard's grin widened. "As you wish, my master." He vanished and reappeared seconds later, her dresser in tow.

"Good, now get out!" Integra bellowed. Alucard took his time about walking to the door, which he only ever used when she commanded him to leave. If she asked him to stay, he usually vanished on the spot. Once he was gone, Integra pulled open the top drawer. Empty. She pulled open the next drawer. Empty.

"ALUCARD!"

_Oh, I'm sorry, Master. Did you want the clothes too? Such a shame that I'm confined to my coffin all day, otherwise I'd get them for you._

"Sir Integra?"

Integra wheeled about in time to see the small, blonde vampire standing in her doorway, a mass of laundry levitating behind her.

"Oh," Integra said, a little surprised. "Thank you, Seras."

Seras grinned. "If truth be told, Sir, I'm doing this for my own benefit. I like the idea of Alucard being stuck in the basement all day."

"But won't he bother you while you're sleeping?" Integra asked.

"If I'm sleeping," Seras replied. "I'm not a fledgling anymore; I can go days without resting if I want to." She waved her hand and the clothes began to refold themselves, piling onto the top of the dresser. "I'm afraid I'm no good at sorting laundry, so you'll have to do that manually," she added, as Integra watched the animated clothes with interest.

"Where, or better yet, _why_ did you learn a trick like that?" Integra asked curiously. "Vampires don't usually do laundry."

Seras chuckled. "Neither do I," she said hastily. "It's not very hard to do, you see, once you get the hang of levitation, and I've had _years_ of practice with that."

"I see," the Hellsing heiress said matter-of-factly. "Well, thank you for your trouble, Seras, regardless of your motives."

"Anytime, Sir Hellsing," the young vampire said with a nod of her head before vanishing from the room, grinning from ear to ear. With Alucard gone, perhaps she could get some real work done. She materialized next to her usual spot in the library, ready to begin work, when a horrifying sight met her eyes.

A coffin, laying across the desk. And sitting cross legged in it- Alucard. Of course he had found a loophole. Of course.

"What are you doing here?" she asked reproachfully.

"It is a pleasure to see you as well," Alucard said with a smirk.

With a half-hearted shove, Seras forced the coffin off the desk, where it levitated at the same height a few feet away. She rolled her eyes and sat down in the chair, pulling a large, fairly recent looking book towards her.

_The Unholy Dead: An Era_

_Ever since the widely recognized reign of Vlad III Dracula (1431-1476), much controversy has arisen concerning the existence of the "undead," or "vampires." With these newfound speculations arose a number of other fables concerning the existence of similar creatures, including werewolves, demons and other similar hell creatures. This essay will focus on the realities behind these grossly stretched truths, unveiling the true-_

"Why are you reading this trash?" Alucard asked, peering over her shoulder. "The don't even have my birth date correct."

"Or your death date," Seras added absently, fingering through the table of contents. "And I'm starting to think you're right- this book won't be much help at all. It's all about how we don't exist. Morons."

She shoved the book away, dragging another one closer to her. It was hand bound, and had no title: a journal. She opened the green, cloth covered front and scanned the first page.

_Property of William Hallaway. 1954_

"Too recent," Seras muttered, tossing it aside.

"And what year are you looking for?" Alucard asked, his eyes flicking over the stacks of selected books.

"Depends. What year did you first meet Abraham Hellsing?"

"My master has insisted that I do not discuss my encounters with Abraham Hellsing with you."

"I figured," Seras replied. "That's why I never bothered asking. Can you leave now?"

"So you only enjoy my company when I am giving you information? I'm devastated, Police Girl," he said in a mocking voice.

Seras rolled her eyes and siezed the next book in her pile. The cover was lined with dust, remnants of faded gold letters that were no longer legible etched across it's taught leather binding. Gingerly, she flipped it open, looking curiously at the contents. It was hand written in calligraphy, washed out colors lining the starting letter of each page and paragraph. While calligraphy was not unfamiliar to Seras, something about the writing in this book struck her as odd.

Leafless rose thorns intertwined with what looked like human bones, hints of what may have been real blood used to color the crimson petals spun around the edges of the page, encircling the title. _The Art of the Slayer_. How sinister. With a curious smile playing across her lips, she turned to the next page.

_Of all things dark and evil in this world, there are none so foul as the midian, walker of nights. The wolf may be tamed and the demon scorned with the name of Christ, but the vampire is eternal, breathless and deadly. To slay a true nosferatu is to slay the kin of the devil himself._

Seras smirked. At least this author knew what he was talking about.

_It is for this reason these words have been dipped with the ink of the quill, drawn out for all and any of my bloodline that might end the reign of the undead. A vampire possesses few, but strong weaknesses that can be played upon to the advantage of the slayer. Sunlight, silver, moving bodies of water, holy objects and the word of God will strike fear into their empty souls, perhaps even render them powerless._

_In contrast to these are there innumerable strengths: transformation, consumption of blood,speed and power beyond even the strongest human. It has been said that all vampires possess a mental link, though this lacks verification._

"Interesting..." Alucard said from behind her, having already finished the page while she was barely halfway through it. "Who is the writer of this fascinating tirade of the obvious?"

"It's hardly obvious what he's writing about," Seras snapped. "As I recall, most vampires aren't exactly "social butterflies" and to get close enough to examine one's strengths and weaknesses... well, he'd have to be a slayer, wouldn't he? And he talks about his bloodline... there are very few families of slayers known throughout history."

"Emphasis on the _known_, Police Girl."

"Thanks for being optimistic," she said sarcastically.

Alucard looked annoyed. "You are wasting your time, Police Girl. There is nothing to be found here. Do you honestly think Integra would leave a book containing the key to my freedom lying around?"

"She would if she didn't know about it," Seras replied tersely, flipping through the short, ancient book, searching for an author or a date, any clue about the bloodline.

"What do you mean, Police Girl?"

Seras shrugged. "When she awoke you, it's not as if she was reading a guide on how to do it. It was a fortunate moment, right? And you were bound many years before she was born. She didn't have to perform any magic herself."

"But she has investigated the nature of our connection most thoroughly," Alucard replied.

"Perhaps," Seras muttered. "She probably possesses the diary of Abraham Van Hellsing himself. But where did Abraham learn it from? Something in this library must have at least inspired- hey! Come back with that book!"

"You've been reading enough for now," Alucard said with amusement, holding the book out of reach as she tried to repossess it, still floating three feet above the ground in his coffin. "We may have a mission tonight- you should really be sleeping, don't you think?"

"Honestly, Alucard, you need as much attention as a three-year-old child," Seras said impatiently.

"Oh?" he asked in a flash of fangs. "So what does that say about you?"

"That I was hormonal teenager when I met you," she said pointedly.

"As opposed to _now_ when you are as much a teenager as ever to a vampire..."

"At least I don't act like one!" she said angrily. "Give me my book back!"

"You have to work for it," he said, jerking her by the waste so that she fell into the coffin with him, her body pressed against his.

"We're in the Hellsing Library. Are you out of your mind?" Seras said, accidentally knocking over a stack of books with a flying boot in one of her more wild attempts to snatch the book from Alucard's carefully raised hand.

"Potentially," he said, running his lips along her jawline.

Seras tackled him, knocking the book from his hand. It skidded across the smooth stone floor, thumping against the wall a few feet away. Seras hastily began to disentangle herself from Alucard, trying to clamber after the it, but Alucard seized her around the middle and flipped her so that she was pinned belly-up beneath him.

"Horny bastard," Seras mumbled, levitating the book into her outstretched hand. She then phased through the coffin and the floor, hoping to find a quiet place to finish reading. But, of course, with Alucard around, this would always remain a hope and nothing more.

"Hide and seek..." Alucard said sadistically. And then he, too, sunk into the ground, coffin and all.

* * *

Thank you all for reading and for sticking with me through the not-so-immediate updates. Please R&R with any comments/suggestions so that I can make something of this story! Wondering where it's going? Seras is determined to free Alucard, making her temporarily forget about Black Blood and Vanya... but in the background, things are turning messy. Of course, we may not see any of this for a few chapters... or even another story. I'm still deciding... XD REVIEW!!!! 


	6. Blood Magic

Disclaimer: I do not own Hellsing!!!!!

* * *

**Ut Proism**

Chapter Six: Blood Magic_  
_

_You are bound by blood,_

_Only blood can free you._

_Willing, sacrificial,_

_your own._

Seras stared at the words, letting them wash over her again and again. If only Vanya was still a member of Hellsing... he always understood that sort of thing. It had been five long years since he left, since she had decided to free Alucard, and only now was she getting anywhere.

A faint mumble came from the bed beside her, and she hastily replaced the book on the shelf below Integra's nightstand. Whenever Integra slept (which wasn't often), Seras would creep into her room and read a little more from diaries of Abraham Van Hellsing. And yes, there were _diaries_.

Her nerves were humming with excitement. Was this the clue that could lead her to freeing her former master? It seemed pretty specific... though it was rather vague. Willing. Sacrificial. Your own. What did that mean? Alucard had to wound himself? No, that made no sense. He was wounded on many occasions, and she distinctly remembered him cutting himself so that she could drink from time to time.

Yet, of all the excerpts she'd read from the diaries, this was by far the most promising. Of course, she loved to read the diaries in general. To hear first hand about Alucard's taming was too tempting! If only Integra wasn't such a light sleeper! Then she could stay there all night, reading page after page...

When Integra finished her mumbling, she rolled over and fell back into a deep well of sleep. Seras sighed uneasily, and removed the book again, thumbing through the pages until she found the one she had left off on.

The pages fell open to an all too familiar entry. Seras knew she didn't have time to reread anything, given that Integra might awaken at any moment, but this entry was her favorite...

_...walking among these trees, I begin to think of Elizabeth. She has always enjoyed quite woods and surely there none so peaceful as these found in Wallachia. My thoughts dwellt with her as I bypassed a small, bubbling stream, smelling the crisp autumn air. When I first came to this country, I had not expected to find it so pleasant. Surely the homeland of such a monster ought to be reflective of its inhabitant._

_I know by my compass that I am nearing his abode. Perhaps what alarms me most is that the birds are still singing and a hare still leaps through the brush, unaware that it is so near to such evil. My cross bow thuds against my back, reminding me of the task at hand. I do not want to say that I am frightened. This beast will not be the first that I have slain. I think that the rumors have left me somewhat unsettled. Though I do not understand their language in the village, one word stands out: Nosferatu._

_My translator explains to me that it means "the dead who walk." And it is this word that has brought me here, to this sparkling, pristine country, rich with tales of death and of a monster in the mountains._

_The road bends away before me. I pause to note that the tracks of wheels are thin here; it is not a well-traveled way, and for that reason, it is the path I take. The trees obscure my vision, but my heart tells me I have reached my destination. Sure enough, the last of the brush clears away and before me is a sight to behold._

_Soaring from beyond the forest are copper colored rooftops, the towers and turrets sprouting up in odd locations. It's walls are a pale gray stone, almost the color of tainted snow. It rises up before me, set apart on a hill of rock and grass before which passes a narrow river._

_I move into the trees and approach it thus, my footsteps as light as I can make them, my hand ready on the hilt of my sword..._

Dawn. Seras felt the sun brushing against the horizon even before the pale light began to filter through the thin, blue curtains. Integra was stirring... Seras hastily replaced the book and sank into the floor, adrenolyn pumping through her body as she descended into the dungeons. That had been _far _too close.

"Up to no good again, Police Girl?" Alucard asked the moment she appeared in her room. Seras frowned.

"I thought you had a mission," she said pointedly.

"I did."

"You finished?" she asked, surprised. He had only left an hour ago.

"Brilliant observation," Alucard said approvingly.

Seras smiled, settling herself in a chair, revealing ivory fangs as she yawned. "You'll never guess what I was just doing..." she said sleepily. It had been nearly a week since she last slept.

"Hmm, searching for the non-existant diary of Abraham Van Hellsing?"

Seras smirked, her eyes glittering mischievously. "Oh, I'm past the point of searching," she said smartly.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you now?"

"Yup," she replied, the smug look on her face growing. "Integra doesn't exactly keep them in a top secret location."

"_Them,_ Police Girl?"

Seras yawned again. "You know, I just remembered that I forgot to bring Scipio his dinner," she said, relishing the annoyed look on her former master's face.

"What a coincidence," Alucard muttered, watching her leave.

"Isn't it?" she agreed, before stepping through a portal that dumped her into another part of the basement.

"Scipio," she called.

"_I vas ssleeping,"_ he said, cracking open a single, glowing red eye from where he slept on the floor.

"You sleep all the time," she pointed out, opening another portal through which she stuck her hand, reaching into one of the fridges in the kitchen and removing a large bag of raw meat which she then tossed onto the ground in front of his face. "Dinner is served," she said, slumping onto the ground beside him and leaning back against his hulking, fur-covered form.

"_'ave you consssidered the culinary profession?"_ Scipio asked sarcastically. _"Your presentation of food iss surely ssomething to be envied."_

"I try," she said, smiling at the joke. She looked around the bleak dungeon room thoughtfully. "Scipio, don't you get bored down here all the time?"

"_Massster, 'ow many timess must I tell you? Vhen you are not consstantly vaking me, I can sssleep for weeksss on end. It iss vhat my kind doesss. Ve eat, ve ssleep, and ve ssserve. Sso, 'ow may a ssserve you, Masster?"_

"I finally found them," she said, staring at the wall in front of her absently.

"_The diariessss?"_

"Yes," she said, grinning to herself. "They're absolutely phenomenal. Every detail of Abraham's life and encounters with 'Dracula'."

"_Vhat 'ave you learned?"_ he asked, biting through the plastic that protected the meat and devouring it most crudely.

"Well, I haven't finished reading them, but there was a passage written in one of the later entries, after he enslaved Alucard from what I can tell. It said, _you are bound by blood. Only blood can free you. Willing. Sacrificial. Your own._ But what do you suppose it means?"

"_I 'ave a crude theory," _Scipio said, raising his head from the remains of his dinner, licking the excess blood from his mouth. _"You sssaid, sssacrificial, no? That impliesss that to free 'im from 'is curse, sssomeone, or ssomething musst die- villingly."_

"Integra?" Seras suggested quizzically.

"_I think not,"_ he replied. _"It musst be 'isss own."_

"You mean a vampire," Seras said flatly.

Scipio shook his head. _"Not _jussst_ a vampire... one of 'isss blood."_

"You- you mean-," the truth behind it dawned on her, slowly and steadily, causing a look of horror to spread across her face, "You mean _me!_" she said, biting her lower lip.

He nodded once. _"Or von of yoursss, or another of 'isss, if there are any living."_

"I- I don't think Alucard has any other fledglings..." Seras said uneasily.

"_But you 'ave a fledgling,"_ Scipio reminded her.

"Now you've really lost it," Seras snapped. "One, Vanya hates Alucard. Two, I would never even _ask_ him to die for Alucard. Three, even if this is the truth, we have no way of 'operating the spell.'"

"_Blood magic is not ssso difficult to learn," _Scipio replied before taking another massive bite of his dinner.

"Blood magic?" Seras asked.

"_It iss von of the many dark magicsss. And like all the otherss it iss nothing more than a theory. My point being, that it can be learned."_

"You could teach it to me?"

"_No, but Abraham Van 'ellsssing can,"_ Scipio said, grinning his frightening grin.

"What are you talking about?" Seras asked sharply.

"_I am a _daiv,_ am I not?"_ Scipio said, getting to his feet as if to remind her of his height.

Seras scoffed. "What? You want me to go back through time, interview Hellsing on how to undo the spell, and then skip off home? Oh, that will work perfectly! Ignoring the fact that he is unlikely to tell me, Alucard's fledgling, how to free him, of course..."

"_Massster, you alvwayss jump to conclusionsss,"_ Scipio said with a bark like laugh. _"Lisssten to vhat I am sssaying to you. Ve vill go back in time to vhen 'e first learned about blood magic and then learn at 'is sside, in the shadowsss, of courssse. And to determine that time-,"_

"We use the diaries!" Seras said, pounding her fist triumphantly into her hand. "Scipio, you're brilliant."

"_But of coursssse,"_he purred, a gloating smile in his eyes.

"Oh," Seras suddenly muttered, looking at the floor. "But there's still the problem of the sacrifice..."

"_I may be incorrect on thisss ssubject,"_ Scipio said simply. _"Ve vould do vell to 'ear the remedy first hand from 'ellsssing 'imsself. There may be another vay."_

Seras felt hope flooding through her. Scipio was right; there was no use jumping to conclusions before they knew for sure. "When do we leave?" she asked eagerly.

"_As ssssoon as you find the proper entry in Van 'ellsssing'ss journal,"_ Scipio said, finishing the last of the meat and tossing the plastic package aside. _"I vill be sssleeping until that time. Pleassse don't vake me."_

"Wouldn't dream of it," Seras said with a smirk, ruffling the fur between his ears. "I'll just work fast so that I have an excuse to bug you."

"_'ow thoughtful,"_ Scipio said with a yawn, settling back down for another few days worth of sleep.

Seras smiled and phased through the door, smiling at what she saw on the other side. "It's not polite to eavesdrop, Alucard," she said when they made eye contact. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, his broad-rimmed hat still pushed down on his overgrown, black hair. His fangs flashed in a devilish grin.

"Perhaps I_ would_ have been able to eavesdrop if someone hadn't put a barrier around the room. I'll admit, I'm impressed, Police Girl. It's been a long time since I've come in contact with a barrier that I couldn't break."

She nodded, "It uses a lot of energy," she admitted, leaning against the wall and sighing. "And I haven't slept in a while."

"I've noticed," he said, his expression, as always, unreadable. "You haven't eaten in a while either."

"It's only been a few days," she muttered, generating a portal that opened into one of the kitchen fridges, just as she had before. This time, she removed a blood pack and bit down on it, feeling relief flood down her throat with the cool, refreshing blood. When she had finished, she shoved the empty wrapper into her pocket and began walking down the hall, saying, "I'm going to bed."

Alucard followed her, watching her closely. Perhaps he sensed the doubt that was plaguing her, or perhaps he wanted to make sure she made it to the coffin without collapsing. Regardless of his motives, he kept a few steps behind her; Seras wasn't complaining. She found his presence to be somewhat... comforting.

For just a moment, she glanced over her shoulder and looked at him. She then blushed and turned her gaze to the stones beneath her feet, causing Alucard to smile curiously. _I would die for you,_ she thought, taking care to keep her feelings silent. _Would you die for me? Not that I care... I know I'm not allowed to love you, Alucard, but this feeling... it's pretty damn close, isn't it?_

Fortunately, Seras had shielded these thoughts from him and was able to lay down in her coffin wondering how much he would be able to learn from her dreams. Hopefully not too much. She didn't want him to stop her when the time came.

_If the time comes,_ she reminded herself. Yeah, that sounded better. _If_

* * *

Oh, the wonders of cliffies! XD

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! By the way, did you know that there is an actual "Journal of Abraham Van Hellsing"? I was reading an excerpt of it for inspiration when I wrote the clip from his diary. Just to clear something up, Seras is NOT Black Blood. Nor can she be. Remember, when you go into the future, you get erased from time. You'll just have to wait and find out who it is... though it may not seem important, it ties everything together in the end. REVIEW PLEASE!


	7. The Diaries of Abraham Van Hellsing

Disclaimer: I do not own Hellsing

* * *

**Ut Proism**

Chapter 7: The Diaries of Abraham Van Hellsing

The young vampiress grinned mercilessly as she drained the blood from the teenage girl, her long red hair swishing furiously behind her, almost as though it reflected her mood. Her eyes hummed a deep crimson song, sparkling in the dark. When she had finished, she dropped the body to the ground, smiling with satisfaction as she licked her lips.

"Enjoy your meal?" said the man behind her. He wore an amused smirk.

"Yes, Master," she said, breathing hungrily.

"Hmm, you still seem to want something," he noted, reading into her thoughts. Her face turned a brilliant shade of crimson, her eyes falling to the floor.

"Why... whenever I kill...?" she whispered, her fingers twisting on the hem of her skirt. "I-I get these urges."

"It's natural," the man replied, snaking his hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "You shouldn't fight what's natural."

Her face turned even redder; tentatively, she reached up to him, moving her lips closer to his. When she began to hesitate, he overcame her doubts by finishing what she could not, pulling her into the beginnings of a deep, passionate kiss that ended in so much more.

* * *

_July 19, 1885_

_Dr. Kupfur and I spend many hours discussing his theory. I am skeptical about the existance of these "vampires," though the name is not unfamiliar to me. There have always been tales of fierce blood suckers in the more remote portions of the world, though I would just as quickly believe those to be exaggerated truths of maniacal warlords and disturbed men._

_I convey my doubts to him and he smiles his knowing smile, bidding me to rise and accompany him. We leave the lecture hall through a door I have never passed, and find ourselves in a small private laboratory of sorts, Dr. Kupfur's if I am not mistaken. He requests that I keep our conversation quiet and once I have conceded, he moves to the large cold drawers at the back of the room, the ones I suspect contain the recently deceased who chose to donate their bodies to the worthy cause of science._

_He selects a drawer in the middle row, second column (out of five) from the end. I note that it has no label describing its occupant. Dr. Kapfur beckons me closer and I examine the body of a young woman, beautiful in the face, and yet alarmingly pale, even for one who is deceased. Dr. Kapfur explains to me that her blood has been removed, but not by any of the scientists. She was brought to him not a day ago, and she is not the first of her kind he has seen._

_He clarifies his meaning by tilting her head so that her neck is exposed. It is then that I notice two small puncture wounds side by side on the ivory flesh. He closes the drawer when I am satisfied, and removes a log from which he reads every account of a victim with no blood in their body. He is patient with my insecurities and refutes my questions quite amiably._

_By the time we depart, I, myself, am wondering if a vampire could truly exist. I tell nothing of our discussion to Elizabeth, having no desire to worry her. I have often observed that she fears that which is out of the ordinary. She has prepared lamb tonight; I eat it in silence, pondering my dealings with Dr. Kapfur. He strikes me as a man of good intelligence and sanity, so I am inclined to investigate the truth behind his theories._

Seras grumbled silently, shutting the first of ten volumes of Abraham Van Hellsing's diaries and re-shelving it. She'd been searching for hours and still she had found nothing. Perhaps she would get a clue from his actually enslavement of Alucard.

She randomly selected the seventh volume. She had read most of the sixth, and that was where he had first heard about "Dracula," and had failed to slay him when the two met. Abraham had referred to it in the following way:

_I begin to wonder which of us is the hunter and which the hunted. He toys with me, a smile stolen from the devil himself carved into his noble, haunting features. He does not sleep by day as a normal vampire would. When I attempted to burn him in his coffin, he surprised me most cruelly. I fear my arm will not heal easily, particularly in these circumstances. I managed to escape after our second clash with no intention of returning for a third without better preparation. Tomorrow I depart to London to seek the help of a long forgotten friend._

Seras opened the seventh diary in her lap and flipped to the fifth entry, reading curiously.

_November 5, 1886_

_Today, I learn a horrible truth. I make my way up the marble steps of Oxford, my ready notes stowed in my briefcase. I inquire from a young receptionist as to the location of Dr. Daniel Kapfur's office. She informs me that Dr. Kapfur is no longer living. When I press her for information, she admits that the university has succeeded in keeping his manner of death relatively quiet, and she knows only that he was out of town when he was killed. My better judgement tells me that his demise was not a coincidental one. I ask if his wife is still living in London and she gives me the address._

_I waste not time in embarking on this knew journey through mystery. I tell myself that I will see his wife only to offer her my condolences though I know I am deceiving myself. Mrs. Kapfur is at home when I ring the bell; she opens the door, still wearing the black of mourning, and invites me in. Though we have never met, she does not seem surprised to see me. Her hands shake as she brews the tea and asks me to sit down in the parlor._

_I tell her how grieved I am. She smiles sadly and tells me a disturbing piece of information. Dr. Kapfur departed for Germany in early September. His body was discovered in a river and identified only by the card in his wallet. His face, she tells me, was horribly mutilated. I again, apologize for having coaxed her to recount the tale to me. I begin to leave, but she holds me back, explaining that a box entitled "Van Hellsing" had been discovered in her husband's office. She asks me to take it and I politely agree, though this knowledge fills me with knew wonder. I begin to ask myself if Dr. Kapfur had known when he began his voyage that he would not be returning._

_Out of respect for his wife, I do not review the contents of my prize until I am safely home, and even then I must wait until Elizabeth is asleep to examine them. When she has dozed off, I remove the lid. It contains a leather-bound journal, three sheets of folded paper and a small glass vile. Upon closer examination, I determine that the journal is not Dr. Kapfur's, but instead the property of a James Valerious. Though I cannot place it, the name sounds oddly familiar. Perhaps Dr. Kapfur, no, Daniel, mentioned it during one of our many conversations._

_November 6 1866_

_The journal of James Valerious is no ordinary diary; it is a book of methods. The techniques I have thus far used to destroy the unholy seem as poor as the throwing of rocks compared to those concealed within these pages. Dracula's days are limited. These methods will surely destroy him and free the people of Wallachia from his reign._

November 6 1866. Seras commited the date to memory. Perhaps this was another wild goose chase, but on the other hand, it was a better lead than any they'd had thus far. She yawned and put the diary away for the time being; they'd had a mission ealier that evening and the effort involved had exhausted her.

She sank into the floor, eventually making her way to hers and Alucard's room, slumping onto the lid of the coffin as she felt the sun peaking over the horizon.

"Bed time..." she mumbles, falling through the lid and curling up into a ball. She fell asleep within minutes, her mind empty of all thoughts but one- November 6 1866. "Alucard," she whispered into the empty air, letting the darkness take her into the restful sleep of the dead.

When Seras awoke the next evening, there was still no sign of Alucard. It was possible that he had gone to bed after her and awoken before her, but Seras doubted it. When Alucard slept, _he slept._ She found it more likely that he had spent the day prowling around the corridors, frightening maids or tying the bootstraps of the soldiers together while they stood at attention.

Smirking to herself, she got to her feet, walking to the table where a fresh blood packet was awaiting her. Beside it on the table was an empty wrapper- so Alucard had at least returned to their chambers for a little while.

She bit down on the blood and drained it hungrily, throwing her wrapper beside her mate's. She proceeded to make her way to Integra's office. She phased through the floor to the room, causing a startled yelp and the cracking of a teacup.

"Oh, sorry, Sir Integra," Seras said apologetically, realizing that she had phased directly through the center of the desk. "Guess my aim was a little off." She stepped onto the floor and straightened her clothes, trying not to look too amused.

"It's quite alright, Seras," Integra replied, though she did not sound entirely forgiving. Walter stood beside her, mopping up the spilled tea with a white rag.

"Are there any missions tonight?" Seras asked, fidgeting with the edges of her gloves.

"No, not that require a vampire," Integra replied, trying to brush the moisture of her files. "Just the death of a family a few miles south of here. Alucard already examined the files. He says it looks like the work of a hungry fledgling."

"Alright then," Seras said with a shrug. "Let me know if you need anything." She was about to leave the room when a thought occurred to her. "Sir Integra," she said, turning back, "if this is the work of a fledgling, then there must be a master nearby as well."

"Yes, logically that would follow," Integra said, a little impatiently.

Seras took a deep breath and continued, "Well, if the only evidence we have is the work of a fledgling, then we have no way of knowing what level the master is. He could be a class-A vampire for all we know. I mean, when I was a fledgling, you'd never guess that I had someone like Alucard behind me."

"Perhaps," Integra agreed, pondering her words.

"So, should I go to? Or would you rather send Alucard?" Seras asked.

"Alucard was dispatched earlier this evening on a mission of utmost importance concerning a string of murders in Wales. He may not return for some time. If you would like, you may accompany the soldiers on their mission."

"May I bring Scipio?" Seras requested in the politest voice she could muster.

"If you wish."

"Thank you, Sir Integra. May I see the file? I'd like to at least know where I'm going..."

* * *

Hellsing agents flooded the house, first securing the premises and then investigating the remains of the family. Seras stepped into the house and paused, sniffing the air. Intermingled with the blood was a very familiar scent, though she couldn't quite place it.

"The vampires haven't been here for more than two days," she informed the commander, digging her hands into her pockets lazily. "But they are still in the viscinity. I can feel the fledgling calling me like an alarm bell. The master seems to have masked his identity."

"Then you are certain it's a male?" he asked sharply.

Well, the fledgling is obviously female from her aura, and therefore her master must be a male. Anymore questions? Or can I go put these miserable creatures out of their misery? I want your men to follow behind me at a distance. I'll confront the master and you guys take out the fledgling, understood? Shoot on sight. Even if this is the work of a fledgling, its still an abnormally blood thirsty fledgling. At the stage of vampirism, the child ought to still be resisting the consumption of blood. I can't wait to meet the master!" she added, more to herself than to the commander.

Seras stepped back out onto the street, feeling the cool moonlight wash over her, sending her senses wild. _Such a beautiful night,_she thought eagerly, walking down the street at an easy pace. She moved in the direction of the fledgling's aura, her tongue curling around her fangs hungrily; she greatly resembled her mate in that she _loved_ a good fight. And on a night like this...

Down one street, then another, up the stoop, through the door. Time to play. Seras reached onto her back where the Harkonnen IX was strapped, awaiting use. She swung it forward, pulling a large shell from her trenchcoat pocket and loading it into the gun, taking a few steps forward.

Seras, having carefully concealed her aura just as the mysterious master did, crept down the long, vacant hallway, her eyes and ears alert. The fledgling was very close, just on the other side of the wall. Seras phased stealthily through it, and found exactly what she was looking for.

A young female was sitting on a couch watching the television, her long red hair flowing over the cushions, completely unaware that she was no longer alone. Seras moved behind her, making not a sound. She walked closer, a devious smile on her face as she bent down right behind the girl and whispered in her ear, "Boo."

The girl jumped with a shriek, rolling from the couch and entering some sort of fighters stance, her fists poised and ready, her crimson eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Who the hell are you?" the girl asked, baring her fangs.

"Your death," Seras said simply, raising the weapon. She pushed down on the trigger, but the explosive shell never made it to the fledgling. Something jumped in front of her, taking the blast, his entire left shoulder complete mauled by the encounter.

"Don't touch her!" the man snarled, drawing himself up as the wound slowly began to heal.

"V-V-Vanya?!" Seras stuttered, lowering her weapon.

* * *

Ah, don't you just love those cliffies? XD So now we've got drama on more than one time plane... oh, how thick the plot grows. Next chappie, I'm thinking, Seras goes to the past, but can she survive the methods of the expert vampire hunter and get her hands on that book? But what the hell is Vanya doing in London? Can Seras keep his presence a secret without getting her head blown of by Integra? And has anyone else noticed that it's always Seras who ends up in the obnoxious life-threatening situations? Anyway, review please! And check back later for the update! 


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